On October 14-16 young activists from around the world gathered in Mexico City for the Alliance of Youth Movements 2009 Summit.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a video message to the summit:

The main theme was how young people and emerging technology would change statecraft and international relations in the 21st Century.

For a good round-up of the summit check out the following posts from Dipnote, the official blog of the U.S. Department of State:

Spotlight on Change Agents: AYM 2009

Today’s events featured a plethora of panel discussions on new media technologies to amplify the cause, the role of 21st Century women leaders, social media and good governance, and social media as a tool to promote human rights. Panelists included young leaders and entrepreneurs who have become the global agents in the technological pathways toward peace-building and social change. For Rodrigo Nogueira of Viva Favela, an AYM delegate from Brazil reaching out to kids living in the favelas (slums), “Last night and today, I have met people from around the world who all share the same passion. I thought I was alone. AYM offers the chance to empower people to produce changes in real life, not virtually.”

AYM 2009: Viral Change, Growing the Movement

This second day of Summit activities focuses on movement building with panel discussions and breakout discussions among global changemakers on creating sustainable anti-violence initiatives via viral change. In a recorded video message, Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton conveyed to AYM 2009 participants in Mexico City, “You come from different cultures and countries and speak different languages. But you all share a common commitment to engaging with the world, to using every tool at your disposal to bring people together to solve problems. And that makes you the kind of leaders we need as we work to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the 21st century.”